Birds are very visually biased, and many have largely dispensed with the senses with the senses of taste, smell and touch. Their eyesight, however, is often superb, and their hearing, too, can be far better than a human’s.

Bird’s eyes are big. The bigger the eye the more light-sensitive cells it can contain, which results in vision that is not telescopic compared to the human eye’s, but it is up to eight time clearer. This is important to all birds, but particularly so for hunters like buzzards, which can spot prey a kilometre below them. Bird’s eyes are usually sited on the site of the head, giving good all-round vision. Predatory birds, however, have the eyes pointing forwards to increase binocular vision, vital for accurately judging distances.
All bird have good hearing, but it is especially well developed in those that are active at night. The “face” of the owl directs sounds to the ears, which are often at different levels in the skull. Each ear will therefore hear a sound at slightly different time, making it easier to detect from which direction it has come.